In a seat being vacated by a Representative who was caught buying cocaine, the last thing voters in Florida’s 19th Congressional District want is more scandal and cronyism.

That was one of the main points former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin made when endorsing Lizbeth Benacquisto for the seat, saying she was the best candidate to fight against the cronyism that is rampant in D.C.

Appearing at a cookout for her campaign last week, Palin said Benacquisto was the best politician to “oust the status quo” while calling her a “Mama Grizzly who will stand up to protect the next generation.” Palin warned against politicians who will not do enough to prevent the country from being “fundamentally transformed and not restored.”

The Republican primary is April 22 and will include Benacquisto, Curt Clawson, Paige Kreegel and Michael Dreikorn. The winner of that race will face Democrat April Freeman and Libertarian Ray Netherwood on June 24 in the general election.

“On the national stage, there is no greater voice for principled conservatism and the spirit of the Founders than Governor Sarah Palin,” Benacquisto told Breitbart News. “To have the support of Sarah, someone so dedicated to getting this nation back on the path to prosperity, is a tremendous honor.”

She added that she was proud to “have the recognition of Sarah and grateful that patriots in this congressional district know they have a conservative they can trust.”

When she endorsed Benacquisto, Palin, first and foremost, called her the only conservative in the race and also said that her candidacy comes with an added bonus: it helps Republicans blunt the phony “war on women” rhetoric Democrats like to gin up around election time.

Palin also said that “Lizbeth is running against a wealthy self-funded candidate with lots of splashy campaign ads claiming to be a conservative.”

“Since when do conservatives stand for crony capitalism and government bailouts? Please do your homework, voters,” she added. “Look beyond the fancy anonymous campaign ads. Look at a candidate’s record, not just their rhetoric. Lizbeth is a genuine conservative with a track record to prove it.”

As Breitbart News reported, “Palin seemed to be referring to a recent report in the Naples Daily Newsabout candidate Curt Clawson, who has tried to frame himself as a conservative despite having a record that suggests otherwise:”

He made a campaign contribution to liberal Michigan Democrat Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) in 2009 after she wrote a provision into Obamacare that would allow the federal government to pick up health benefits of former employees of a company that Clawson owned. Furthermore, his company hired lobbyists and paid them nearly a million dollars while Obamacare was being fleshed out for “issues pertaining to manufacturing and filing for bankruptcy.”

In addition, Clawson has been under fire for having ties to a convicted pedophile and not being forthright about his relationship with him when it was first revealed. And days after Louisiana freshman Rep. Vance McAllister (R-LA) was caught on a surveillance video making out with is female aide who was not his wife, three of Clawson’s opponents held a press conference to demand transparency from Clawson about his ties to the pedophile. That is the type of scandal voters in this district have indicated they no longer want and are tired of, and it could impact how they vote in the April 22 primary.